State sports briefs

BASKETBALL Ex-UALR player picked up by Cavs

Former UALR men’s basketball player Shane Edwards has signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team announced Wednesday.

Edwards, a forward, played two seasons (2007-09) at UALR and helped lead the Trojans to back-to-back Sun Belt Conference West Division Championships and a combined record of 43-19.

Edwards, 6-7, 220, has appeared in 40 games (32 starts) this season for the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ NBA Development League team. He averaged 13.3 points on 54.7 percent shooting and 5.5 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game.

BASEBALL UALR rolls past UAPB

UALR scored three times in the bottom of the first inning and eight pitchers held UAPB to three hits Wednesday in a 9-3 victory Wednesday at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.

Ethan Schlechte (2-1) pitched 3 innings, striking out 5 and walking 3 while allowing no hits for the Trojans (9-5). Seven relievers combined for 8 strikeouts, 4 walks and gave up all 3 hits by UAPB (4-11).

The Trojans got RBI doubles from Austin Pfeiffer, Tanner Rockwell and Bryson Thionnet off UAPB starter Dixon Marble (0-1) in the bottom of the first for a 3-0 lead. They added two in the bottom of the third on Sam Vogel’s two-run home run for a 5-0 lead. Justin Steelmon’s RBI ground out made it 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth.

UAPB scored twice in the top of the fifth inning on a two-run single by Rashawn Timmnan to trim the deficit to 6-2. The Lions cut the lead to 6-3 on a Mitch Bruckshaw RBI single in the top of the seventh.

UALR tacked on its final three runs in the eighth on a two-run double by Rockwell and a ground out by Thionnet.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL Tulsa defeats Arkansas 6-1

Aimee Creger struck out 13 hitters Wednesday as Tulsa defeated Arkansas 6-1 at the Collins Softball Complex in Tulsa.

Creger (9-1) gave up 1 run on 5 hits with 3 walks in her complete-game victory.

Chloe Oprzedek accounted for Arkansas’ lone run with a double to right-center that drove in pinch-runner Ashley Martindale from first base. Oprzedek extended her hitting streak to 11 games.

Tulsa improved to 21-3, while Arkansas fell to 19-6.

SWIMMING AND DIVING 2 UA divers among top 17

Two Arkansas divers competed in the platform diving event Wednesday during the final day of competition at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships held in Minneapolis.

Arkansas senior Kesha Naylor finished 12th with a score of 252.35 in the prelim to qualify for the final and finished ninth overall with a score of 522.55.

Sophomore Shelby Bartlett earned a personal-best score of 236.60 in the prelim and finished in 17th place.

Sports, Pages 25 on 03/13/2014

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